Visiting the Art Institute of Chicago

Last Saturday, my husband and I took our daughter to the Art Institute of Chicago to view the Picasso exhibit with my parents. Poppy had been to the art museum once before when she was about nine months old, but she had an even better time now that she is walking on her own.

Our first stop at the museum was the current Picasso exhibit. In 1913, the Art Institute of Chicago became the first art museum in the country to present the work of a young Pablo Picasso. The museum is currently celebrating the special 100-year relationship between Picasso and Chicago by bringing together over 250 of the finest examples of his paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and ceramics.

The first painting that Poppy really liked was entitled “Young Woman with a Hat.” I personally have always liked “The Old Guitarist.” Poppy also really liked the sculptures including one entitled “Jester.” I have also always liked a painting entitled “The Red Armchair.” I also liked a sketch of a cat, which reminds me of a cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Poppy really loved the drawing of a bird. She was not as thrilled by the abstract paintings, but she immediately pointed at the bird when she saw the picture.

After taking in the special Picasso exhibit, my family explored the rest of the museum. Poppy liked looking at the ancient stone tiles. She liked the tiles with inscriptions as well as a tile mosaic of a dog. She also liked the metal sculptures of the really long and tall people. Her fascination with lights meant that she was also drawn to the lighted sculpture in the contemporary art wing. I personally like the abstract wall art that looks like carrot and celery sticks.

Finally, we checked out the architecture gallery, which had not been open last fall. I thought the model of the Chicago skyline was amazing. Poppy and I both liked the benches that had been constructed out of plywood and nylon rope. Poppy even managed to con a complete stranger into letter her play with the audio tour device. Overall, Poppy really loved our day at the Art Institute of Chicago. I am excited to take her to other museums in the city in the upcoming months.

Heather Johnson is a mother, wife, writer, librarian, and linguist. She earned a BA in English studies with a minor in creative writing from Illinois State University in May 2007, an MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2009, and an MS in English studies with an emphasis in linguistics at Illinois State University in December 2011.